Crime &
Punishment
Today:
•
Quick look at crimes in medieval times
•
Law and order
•
Public punishment
•
Torture
Types of crimes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stealing
Nagging one’s husband
Murder
Treason (not being loyal to the monarch)
Witchcraft
Working on Sundays and holy days
Heresy (saying something against the beliefs of
the church)
• Breaking curfew (being out after designated time)
Law and Order
1. Church courts and laws
• heresy, working on holy days
2. Monarch or Lord’s Court
• Tithings (groups of 10 men over 12) were
responsible for reporting any law breaker in
their group to the court
Punishment in public
Gibbet
iron cage to display bodies of
executed criminals
Punishment in public
Stocks (held the ankles)
Pillory (held head and wrists)
Guilty or not guilty?
There were three types of trial: compurgation (or
oath swearing), combat and ordeal.
Compurgation: how many people had to recite the
special oath?
Combat: Who were ‘champions’?
Ordeal: What were the different types of trials by
ordeal?
Guilty or not guilty?
There were three types of trial: compurgation (or
oath swearing), combat and ordeal.
Compurgation: how many people had to recite the
special oath?
12
Combat: Who were ‘champions’?
Champions were expert fighters that fought for nobles in their trials by combat.
Ordeal: What were the different types of trials by
ordeal?
The three types of ordeal were trial by water and trial by fire.
What is Torture?
• Torture is any act by which severe pain, either
physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on
a person.
• Today torture is almost universally considered
to be an extreme violation of human rights
and most countries abstain from using it.
Why was torture used in
medieval times?
• Torture has been used since the ancient times
and was seen as a legitimate part of the legal
system.
• The purpose of torture was usually to punish
or obtain information, especially confessions.
• Torture is usually not to designed to kill the
victim but this was often the result.
• Torture was at its peak during the Spanish
Inquisition (1231-1542) when the Catholic
Church tried to eliminate heretics, or nonbelievers such as Jews, Muslims and
Protestants.
What are these?
Infamy Masks
Scold’s Bridle
Head Crusher
Boots
Foot board
What are these?
Thumbscrews
Press
Scavenger’s Daughter
Hung by the hair and flogged
Chair
Look again!
Cat’s Paw
or Claw
Fork
The Fork in action
Iron Maiden
The Rack
The Rack
Strappado or Pendulum
Next lesson...
• Closer look at the crimes
• The punishments for different types of crimes